750 French Verbs and Their Uses

This is an amazing book, but it will be of little use to you unless you have AT LEAST an upper-intermediate level of French. It really digs into the full use of verbs to enhance usage in written, and eventually spoken, French. A must-have for upper-level learners.

At first, I was a bit disappointed with this book. I thought it would fit nicely into my daily recipe of French study, which includes (1) a half-hour of basic conversational practice, (2) a half-hour of written grammar exercises, and (3) before-bed vocabulary drills and miscellaneous readings. My mistake was to assume that this book belonged in category (1) or (3), when (for me) it really belonged in category (2). Reading and repeating the sample sentences by voice alone did not prove very helpful; I couldn't retain much and began to feel that the book was of little educational value. The book sat unused for several months until one happy day when I decided to bring it to the cafe and write the sample sentences in the notebook I use for various French exercises. Bingo! My retention improved and I began to incorporate the relatively advanced verb structures into my conversation drills. This book is now my main "category 2" component and is serving me wonderfully as a grammar-learning tool. It also has taught me the valuable lesson that learning materials are only of maximum value if they are properly incorporated into our pattern of study based on our personal abilities and preferences. (One caveat: this book would not have been nearly as helpful to me if I hadn't previously studied a great dead of basic grammar.)

As the title indicates, the book lists 750 verbs and demonstrates their uses with sample sentences. It is not the same as the usual verb book which lists and conjugates many of the most basic verbs, but instead it concentrates on the meaning of more advanced verbs and supplies sample sentences. The book is intended for someone who already has a basic knowledge of French. In the main text, the verbs are not conjugated, but there is an appendix at the end of the book of grammatical tables in which verbs are conjugated. The author assumes that the reader already has a knowledge of basic verbs such as "to be", "to speak", "to go", etc. but instead dwells on more advanced verbs, such as s'insister pour que (+ the infinitive) meaning to insist on or opter entre quelque chose meaning to choose among a group of things. The book does demonstrate more complex usages of some of the simpler verbs - for example, parler dans quelque chose meaning to speak into something such as a microphone, or laisser quelque chose meaning to leave something (somewhere or for someone). Sentences are given for each verb which I found extremely helpful, although it is necessary to go to the appendix if you are not sure of the conjugation of the verb.Overall, I believe this book would be very helpful in improving the grammar and vocabulary of an intermediate to advanced French student.

The are many books on French verbs but the emphasis is usually on conjugations. What distinguish this book from others is that it is focused on how to actually use those verbs. I am surprised to find that I am the first person to review this book because it is so useful. Before I had the book, there were many verbs which were only in my "passive" vocabulary -- i.e. when I read or hear them, I would have a sense of what they mean. After reading this book, however, many more verbs have become part of my "active" vocabulary. This means that I can now actually use them in a conversation. The examples given in the book have helped me to have a much better grasp of how and when to use those. I am very pleased with the improvements I have made. What I do with the book is that everyday I would read a couple of pages at random. After reading the examples given for a particular verb, I would imagine myself in situations where I can use the verb. This has proven to be a very effective way to integrate the words learned into my vocabulary.